Drill pipe tong retaining apparatus

Apparatus for positively retaining drill pipe tongs at a desired position horizontally displaced from a center of a rig floor. The apparatus includes a latch connected to a removable stand which places the latch at a desired height above the rig floor and a desired horizontal displacement from the center of the rig floor. The latch includes a jaw having an elongated channel. A retainer arm is rotatably attached to the jaw and is spring biased between a first closed position, where the retainer arm obstructs the channel, and a second open position, where the retainer arm does not obstruct the channel. A catch piece, including a generally vertically disposed tubular member sized to fit in the retainer arm, is attached to a set of tongs. The tongs are pushed away from the center of the rig floor, and the catch piece is guided into the channel of the jaw, displacing the retainer arm from the first closed position and permitting the catch piece to move toward the terminus of the channel. Further movement of the catch piece past the retainer arm permits the catch piece to clear the retainer arm and the retainer arm to move into a second closed position, trapping the catch piece in the channel, thus retaining the drill pipe tongs at a desired position horizontally displaced from the center of the rig floor.

I claim:

1. An apparatus for retaining drill pipe tongs in a desired position away from the center of a rig floor, comprising:

a) a catch piece mounted on a set of drill pipe tongs;

b) a latch for engaging and releasably holding said catch piece; and

c) means for mounting said latch at a desired position with respect to a rig floor.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said latch comprises a jaw having a channel therein and retainer arm mounted on said jaw and movable between a first closed position and a second open position across said channel, said retainer arm movable by cam action out of said first closed position to said second open position by passage of said catch piece along said channel, said retainer arm spring biased back into said first closed position upon complete passage of said catch piece, thereby releasably trapping said catch piece in said channel.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said retainer arm is rotatably mounted on said jaw and rotates between said first open position and said second closed position.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said retainer arm is mounted on said jaw so as to move linearly between said first closed position and said second open position.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said means for mounting comprises an inverted L-shaped stand having a vertical section removably attached to said rig floor and a horizontal section attached substantially perpendicularly to said vertical section, said latch connected to said horizontal section.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein each of said vertical and horizontal sections of said stand comprise telescoping sections.

7. An apparatus for positively retaining drill pipe tongs at a desired position horizontally displaced from a center of a rig floor, comprising:

a) an inverted L-shaped stand having a vertical section releasably mounted to a rig floor and a horizontal section attached substantially perpendicularly to said vertical member;

b) a latch connected to said horizontal section; and

c) a catch piece attached to a set of drill pipe tongs, said catch piece for gripping in said latch, thereby releasably holding said drill pipe tongs.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said latch comprises a jaw having a tapering channel therein for receiving said catch piece, and a retainer arm rotatably mounted on said jaw and rotatably movable between a first closed position wherein said retainer arm blocks said channel and a second open position wherein said retainer arm clears said channel, said retainer arm spring biased toward said first closed position, passage of said catch piece along said channel displacing said retainer arm from said first closed position to said second open position, permitting said catch piece to move to a terminus of said channel.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said catch piece comprises an elongated tubular member.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said vertical and said horizontal sections of said stand comprise telescoping pieces, whereby a height of said latch above said rig floor and said horizontal displacement of said latch from said center of said rig floor may be varied.

11. A method of positively retaining drill pipe tongs at a desired position away from the center of a rig floor, comprising the steps of:

a) providing an apparatus comprising:

an inverted L-shaped stand having a vertical section releasably mounted to a rig floor and a horizontal section attached substantially perpendicularly to said vertical member;

a catch piece attached to a set of drill pipe tongs;

a latch connected to said horizontal section of said stand, said latch comprising a jaw having a tapering channel therein for receiving said catch piece, and a retainer arm mounted on said jaw and movable between a first closed position wherein said retainer arm blocks said channel and a second open position wherein said retainer arm clears said channel, said retainer arm spring biased toward said first closed position; and

b) guiding a set of tongs so that said catch piece traverses said channel along its length to its terminus, said catch piece camming said retainer arm from said first closed position to said second open position then moving out of contact with said retainer arm, said retainer arm then free to return to said first closed position, releasably trapping said catch piece in said channel.